Adulthood
by SilverMidnight52
Summary: Deeks and Isabelle have a conversation about the future. Part 9 of Deeks/Callen series


A little something to show the relationship between Deeks and Isabelle. I just love Daddy!Deeks.

Warning: Nothing that I know of.

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Sighing softly Deeks rolled over in bed and looked at the clock a groan slipping from his lips when it read that it was only two in the morning. He had been attempting to fall asleep since eleven. For another night in a row he was going to have barely any sleep.

He had no idea why he was having such a hard time getting some rest, but he was starting to get annoyed. The only saving grace was that he wasn't working on a case at the moment. He'd never forgive himself if he lost a case because he was too tired.

Movement on the other side of the bed had him looking over wondering if he had awoken his husband. All Callen did though was shuffle slightly in his sleep and continue sleeping peacefully. A small, petty part of him wanted to reach out and wake up his husband.

With a shake of his head the younger man crawled out of bed and left their room before he gave into those thoughts. He was deciding whether or not to have a cup of tea when he noticed the light on under his daughter's door.

He blinked a few times wondering if he had accidentally mixed up her room and Wesley's room. Catching his son awake at two in the morning was such common place in the household that they had stopped punishing him for it after awhile. It wasn't worth the fight as long as his grades were good.

Izzy though she was like her Papa. As soon as she knew that she was safe she could sleep through practically anything. It always made him feel amazing to know that his family felt safe in their home. Except tonight it seemed.

Knocking gently on the door he waited wondering if she had just fallen asleep with the lights on. It might not have happened before, but it was possible. Right? It didn't have to mean that something had happened.

"Isabelle?" he called out hoping his voice wasn't too loud.

A second later the door was opening to reveal a very tired and very frustrated looking Izzy. Shaking his head Deeks opened his arms letting his daughter fall into them and hold onto him as tightly as she needed.

Isabelle was the most independent of his children and truthfully wasn't the type to just randomly hug someone. The fact that she was latching onto him made him even more worried than he had been before.

He always cherished the times when he had his little girl in his arms. Deeks and Wesley were so much more tactile than the other two and sometimes it broke his heart that they didn't hug and cuddle as much as they used to.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked swaying them slightly as she shook her head, "Okay. That's fine. How about some pancakes instead?"

Izzy broke away from the hug and stared at him for a second looking much too serious for a seventeen year old. Bouncing a little on his feet he grinned excitedly at his daughter causing her lips to twitch into a smile.

"Banana nut?" Izzy signed looking a little more alive.

"Is there any other kind?" he replied looking confused, "Have you been cheating on banana nut pancakes?"

Deeks watched as she smiled a little more fully. It felt nice knowing that he was still able to make her do that when she was stuck in 'serious mode'. Laughter was still the best medicine in his opinion.

Smiling happily at her he held his hand out and waited for her to take a hold of it before starting for the kitchen glad that Callen had decided to go shopping earlier that day instead of waiting for the weekend.

As soon as they were in there she hopped up so she was sitting on the counter top swinging her legs while he gathered what they needed. For a moment she looked like the little girl that he had raised and not the young woman she had grown up to be.

It was hard to know that she wasn't a baby anymore. She was seventeen years old and would be going off to college before he knew it. If he wasn't so proud of the person that she had grown up to be he would be heartbroken that she would be leaving soon.

"So," Deeks started glancing at her, "About the pancakes you've been cheating on mine with. Were they chocolate chip? And did Uncle Sam give them to you?"

Izzy rolled her eyes at him even as she laughed. She always was the more serious of his children. It was something else that she had gotten from her Papa and he never let either of them forget how similar they were at times.

As he cooked the pancakes he kept one eye on her waiting for her to finally crack and tell him what was going on. By the time he was putting them on the plates he starting to feel even more worried than before.

Handing her a plate he watched as she dug into them with a gusto causing him to chuckle. He was a little calmer eating his never looking away from her long in case she started to talk without getting his attention first.

His plate was almost halfway done when she finished and put her down. Putting his fork down he leaned against the counter and waited. He hoped that with some food in her stomach she finally felt like talking

"Dad?" Izzy mouthed turning so he could read her lips properly, "Can I ask your a question?"

"Of course," he replied with a nod of his head.

"If you weren't a cop or a lawyer what would you have been?"

"Honestly, I don't know. All I wanted to do was help people and stop injustice. As soon as I figured out that law would be a good place to start I went for it."

"That had to have taken a lot of money."

"It did. I was lucky enough to qualify for some money, but I had to have a job too to keep myself afloat."

"What did you do?"

Staring at his daughter he licked his lips wondering just how he was supposed to tell her. It wasn't as if no one knew. He just didn't go around broadcasting it everyone he knew. Especially to his children.

"I…" he tried to say before clearing his throat, "Uhh… I danced."

"You danced?" she repeated her eyes going wide as she figured out what he was saying, "Wait. You were a stripper?!"

"A little less judgment please."

"Sorry, I just… You were a stripper. My Dad was a stripper."

"It's a choice I made to put me though school. I'm not ashamed of what I did to give myself the future I wanted. I hope you're not either."

The teenager put her plate down and climbed off the counter before hugging him once more. Smiling he pressed a kiss to the side of her head and looked into her eyes trying to figure out where their conversation was going.

His eyes went wide as she suddenly blurted something out so quickly he couldn't read it. Whatever it was that was going on in her mind was bigger than he had thought. She never forgot that he couldn't actually hear her.

"Woah," he held up his hands motioning for her to stop, "I don't think I could have understood that if I could hear. Repeat."

"I don't know what I want to do with my life. I'm about to graduate! By my age you and Papa had it all figured out. Why don't I?"

Laughing slightly Deeks shook his head and lead his daughter to the table. Once she was sitting down he knelt before her ignoring the twinge of protest in his knee as he focused solely on what she needed.

"I give you my word, Isabelle," he said looking up at her, "Your Papa and I had nothing figured out when we were your age. We don't have anything figured out at this age. All we had was the idea of what might make us fulfilled."

"That's more than I have," she pouted crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not really. See, even with the idea that I wanted to be a lawyer and help people I almost dropped out halfway through."

"You did? Why?"

"Because as much as I wanted to be a lawyer I realized that I would have people lives in my hands. If I messed up then they could go to jail. I didn't want that on my conscious no matter how much I loved the work."

"But you're one of the best lawyers around."

"Maybe now, but back then I was just a kid that understood nothing. That almost quit school so he could be a stripper full time."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Despite what you think if you find a good place with good people stripping is really fun and easy. Plus the money was good and my boss was amazing. I loved him."

"You almost dropped out of law school to become a stripper? I… What?"

"Still think I had it together?"

Shaking her head Izzy stared at the wall behind him looking sadder than she had before. Deeks couldn't help but sigh himself. She looked so down and he hated that he couldn't figure out a way to help her through it.

"Look, Izzy," he started after a moment, "I know that you don't want to hear it, but you don't ever really have anything figured out. Life doesn't work that way. All you can do is chase after the things that you feel would make you happy."

"What if I can't find anything?" she questioned real fear in her eyes as she looked back at him, "What if I'm lost?"

"You just have to keep looking. It's not something that you find by force. It's more calm than that. The weekend is coming up. Why don't you and I find places around the city that teach bits of everything, like museums and libraries, and spend time there? Learn one new thing a day and I promise you'll find what you want to do for the rest of your life. We'll figure it out."

A smile bloomed on her lips as she moved to pull him into a hug once more. Laughing he pulled her to her feet and spun them around. He could just feel the laughter bubbling out from her as they stopped and pulled away from each other.

"I love you, Daddy," she said finally looking peaceful.

"I love you too, Izzy," he smiled happily tucking a piece of hair out of her face, "Now back to those pancakes. Were they better than mine?"


End file.
